God created the world’s majesty, beauty for us to marvel

By Ana Borden
NOLA Catholic Parenting

This past summer, our family made up for lost vacation time from the past few years and were blessed to catch up on road trips to familiar and new places.

As I reflected on this year’s pictures on the road, I was thrilled that our album captured so many great family moments that we could share on our annual family Christmas card, taken in some of the most beautiful scenery in our country, unobstructed by buildings and structures. From beach time at our favorite shore, to the kids’ putting their feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, to waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains to traveling to the summit of Pikes Peak and exploring the Garden of Gods, there was one common denominator. We experienced, witnessed and enjoyed some of God’s greatest gifts – the land, topography and picturesque settings that is nature.

Majestic. Evolving. Limitless. Humbling.

The majestic views our family witnessed together on our vacations left me speechless at moments. As an architect, experiencing spaces, studying light and shadow and scale are among the attributes I enjoy analyzing and captivate me when I experience a space for the first time. The artistry of God’s creation is beyond any space any man could ever create or imagine.

Reflecting on the book of Genesis, God created all of this beauty first, then the animals, before he said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” on the final day to do God’s work on earth.

Every location we visited exposed days of roughness – from the waves along the shorelines and the rapids in the mountain ranges, to moments of extreme serenity at the highest peak and softness in the sunsets. We had a different experience every day. God’s painting around us is always changing, evolving, just like the days, weeks and seasons of life we have and are experiencing. The brilliant color palette at the start and end of each day was a reminder of how each moment is unique and how God is speaking to us through his works of art.

The vastness we experienced from often winding roads from our car windows was overwhelming at times. There were so many details to absorb and, even while we traveled along familiar roads, we saw new animals, experienced a symphony of sounds. Even in the darkness, the moon and stars reminded us of the light ahead.

Experiencing these immense spaces God designed inspired me in so many humbling ways in my role as a wife, mother and architect. Each location was a unique canvas in which we always felt his presence, from the silky sand, to the rugged mountainous surfaces to the translucent peaceful planes of lakes. God reveals his strength and power in the waterfalls, yet exhibits his softness and nurtures us in the vegetation that grows around water.

It is humbling that he created all of this beautiful scenery to bring us life, as one cannot live without the other.

At every turn on our adventure, we embraced the gifts God provided. As we retreat back to our day to day settling, we still feel and see God’s presence in the birds and butterflies that find their homes in our trees and garden.

As we start to discuss our new adventures for the upcoming year, I look forward to experiencing, witnessing and enjoying a new composition showcasing God’s beauty, power, presence, creativity and wisdom, as he is the greatest architect of all time.

  Ana Batista Borden is a native New Orleanian, wife, mother, architect and Roman Catholic. She and husband Brad juggle their own businesses – hers is AMB2 Architecture, LLC. – while finding balance navigating life with little ones in the Catholic faith and as active parishioners at their church. She enjoys walking adventures with her family, wedding cake snowballs and drawing and painting anything that has to do with buildings. Her favorite quote is from Pope Benedict XVI: “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”